"In the letter, Babbage told Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about his invention ... upon which the first computer programmes were created by Ada Lovelace, a daughter of Lord Byron.

"Today, I had the pleasure of learning about children's computer coding initiatives and it seems fitting to me that I publish this Instagram post, at the Science Museum, which has long championed technology, innovation and inspired the next generation of inventors."

The royals have been dealing with social media a lot lately. Earlier this week, representatives of the family issued guidelines to internet posters after abusive comments targeting Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton began appearing.

Users are told to show "courtesy, kindness and respect," when posting to the family's social media accounts. Those who fail to do so will be blocked or referred to the police.